One of the most beloved team leaders and starship captains in theStar Trekuniverse, Jean-Luc Picard, portrayed bySir Patrick Stewart, was featured in the television seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation(1987-1994), the first episode ofDeep Space Nine(1993), and the filmsGenerations(1994),First Contact(1996),Insurrection(1998), andNemesis(2002).
More recently, Stewart reprised his role, now an aging Admiral, on CBS All Access (rebranded as Paramount+) inStar Trek: Picard, which spanned three seasons from 2020 to 2023. While the show, which was designed to be slower than its predecessors andmore psychologically intimate, was met with mixed reviews from critics and diehard Trekkies alike, each season had its own different storyline. It also saw the return of severalTNGandVoyagerprotagonists and antagonists, as well the introduction of new characters.
Here is a refresher on the show, and where each season went right and wrong.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The story begins in 2399.Still reeling from the lossof the android Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and affected by the destruction of the Romulan home planet, the now-retired Picard lives in his vineyard with Romulan staff, namely Laris (Orla Brady), with whom he has a special connection. His morose world is shaken by a visit from Dahj (Isa Briones), Data’s “daughter,” a synthetic with a remarkably organic body. But synths are banned by the Federation and aggressively persecuted by Zhat Vash operatives, who eventually kill Dahj.
Picard then seeks out her twin Soji, with reluctant help from two former Starfleet officers: Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), who struggles with substance abuse and is estranged from her family, and Chris Rios (Santiago Cabrera), Captain of La Sirena. Together, they will fight for the synths’ civil rights.
Meanwhile, Picard makes a stop on a remote planet to reconnect with his former crew members William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and his wife Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who are still mourning the loss of their boy. And when he dies in the last episode from a terminal illness, his consciousness is transferred by cybernetics experts Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Spiner) to a synthetic body in his likeness.
Related:Most Memorable TV Character Deaths, Ranked
Notable additions include Narek (Harry Treadaway), a Romulan agent who seduces Soji, and the naïve fan-favorite Romulan Qowat Milat warrior Elnor (Evan Evagora). The return of former Borg drones Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), now a Fenris Ranger vigilante, and Hugh (Jonathan del Arco) was definitely one of the season’s strong suits, along with Rios’ entertaining emergency holograms. Otherwise, Trekkies, used to a faster pace, were a little taken aback by the intense dwelling on the themes of loss, addiction, ostracism, redemption, and prejudice. Perhaps it was a little too much too soon for the first 10 episodes of a reboot. PerThe Gamer, “Every character is sad and angry, and there’s none of the cozy optimism, warmth, or heart that was so intrinsic toTNG. It’s utterly joyless, and determined to make every single character’s life as deeply miserable as possible.”
OneRedditorpraises the storylines of Rios and Raffi, writing, “We come to love them and see them in an almostDS9light, in that they are not perfect/utopian, but people with flaws and temptations and trauma.”
Another one complains, “Picard dies and comes back as an android? Seriously? An android that’s old and is just going to die naturally in a few years anyway?”
While some reviewers onRotten Tomatoesrave about the visual effects, one protests, “What a sad demise for a great and beloved captain!”, and another concludes, “Many good ideas are quickly abandoned, out of what feels like fear of doing something bold or cool. All the new characters are very annoying.”
Nevertheless, the season won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Hanelle Culpepper nabbed Outstanding Directing at the NAACP Image Awards for the first episode, and Stewart, unsurprisingly, was voted Best Actor at the Critics' Choice Super Awards and the Saturn Awards.
“PicardSeason 2 was ultimately a waste – a navel-gazing story that spent far too much time away from practically everything that makesStar Trekwhat it is. There were interesting concepts, but they got buried under a slow, confused, contradictory narrative.”
-Trekking With Dennis
The second part, tackling the themes of identity, legacy, mental health, xenophobia, and illegal immigration, is unanimously the least favorite, ranking an audience score of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. The premise was promising, though, because it brought back the omnipotent antagonist Q (John de Lancie), albeit a mellow version of his former extravagant self. Q traps Picard, Seven, Jurati, Rios, Elnor, and Raffi in an alternate reality, where Earth is run by xenophobic despots. They then must travel to the 21st century to make sure Picard’s ancestor Renée (Penelope Mitchell) fulfills a space mission. All the while Picard deals with unresolved childhood trauma, caused by his mother’s mental illness and suicide.
Though the latter is obviously a nod to Stewart’s own painful past in a household plagued by domestic abuse, audiences couldn’t really connect that to the general plot, or to Q’s motives. “Why this bizarre complicated plan to change the timeline if his goal was only about helping Picard overcome his trauma?”, asksOut of Lives. “And, after a season of conveniently losing his powers, Q’s powers return in the finale, so he can send the crew home. How? I have no idea, and the writers clearly don’t either.”
“That Season 2 maintains and deepens the characters of Season 1, but deploys them in a sprightly and intriguing story, is a triumph. Having a serialized story, but highly individualized episodes? That’s a formulaPicardhas cracked, this time around.” –Indiewire
Additional characters include a younger version of Guinan (Ito Aghayere), the watcher/guardian Tallinn (Brady), and the compassionate Dr. Teresa Ramirez (Sol Rodriguez). There is also the side storyline of Dr. Adam Soong (Spiner) and his ill daughter clone Kore (Briones). Not to mention a surprise brief appearance by Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), now a time traveler.
So, what happens at the end? In the 21st century, Jurati eventually fuses with the Borg Queen from the alternate timeline, and becomes a powerful being, seeking to heal and reconstruct others, thus creating a better collective. 400 years later, in the present, she saves the galaxy and becomes a provisional member of the Federation.
The biggest disappointment isn’t this lenient Borg Queen, though. It’s Rios choosing to stay in the 21st century because he fell in love with Teresa. What was the point of building up such a stimulating character, only to leave him behind forever?
A Rotten Tomatoes reviewer writes, “While some people whined that Season 2 was too “woke,” I think it’s great to show how terrible ICE is.” Another concludes, “All they managed to do is ruin the Borg - a once-upon-a-time rather formidable enemy of the Federation - and Q.”
“It may stand not only as one of the bestStar Trekseasons ever, but it’s the nextNext Generationby a longshot, and the one we needed all this time.” –Slash Film
In Season 3, dubbed “a wonderful warm blanket of familiar” by one Redditor, and “completely written fan-service” by another, Picard learns he has a son, Jack, with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). He (Ed Speleers) is tracked down by mutated Changelings, who have also managed to infiltrate Starfleet. They’ve been commissioned by the defeated Borg Queen from the original timeline, because Jack has special Borg powers, thanks to his father’s DNA.
Picard reunites with his former Enterprise crew, including La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Worf (Michael Dorn), hijacks Captain Shaw’s (Todd Stashwick) USS Titan, and attempts to save both Jack and the galaxy from this joint Dominion-Borg threat. His reunion with the original Borg queen is chilling, but short-lived.
And while the impetuous and honorable Worf looked terrific, and delivered classic lines like “There are two turns of phrase a Klingon never admits to knowing: defeat and farewell,” his newfound obsession with pacifism, tea, and meditation didn’t sit well with fans. On the other hand, they were intrigued by Amanda Plummer’s Changeling villain Vadic, loved to hate Shaw, and cheered at Data’s resurrection. The Bajoran Ro Laren’s (Michelle Forbes) comeback was a little too brief, but very impactful on Picard, and a long-overdue closure.
Related:Star Trek Picard: How the Final Season Sets Up the Franchise’s Future
Thanks to showrunner Terry Matalas, the third season was the most palatable to Trekkies, who are now hoping for a spin-off focusing on La Forge’s skilled daughters and Jack aboard the Enterprise-G, helmed by the newly-promoted Captain Seven, with Raffi as her Number One (and love interest). Hence the plea hashtag #StarTrekLegacy.
